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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: object · wound · fork · game · bound · tube · mouse · pitcher

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. game — a match
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. tube — a container
  5. bound — tied together
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. object — a thing
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. game — wild animals
  11. object — an aim
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fork — in a road
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bound — obliged
  19. tube — the underground
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. object — to protest
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com